Psychobitch

Martin Lund : 2019

The coming-of-age story of two young people: an unexpected encounter between the best student in the class and a psychotic and rebellious girl. Frida is different – not because she is, but because she wants to be. The 15-year-old has no desire to be part of "Generation Perfect" where all kids end up alike – in stark contrast to Marius, the golden boy of the class, who wants to be the best at whatever he does. When the two are put together in class study tandem, Marius sees a good opportunity to prove how great he is again. Frida for her part has no intention of letting herself be helped or 'fixed'. Yet in his fights with Frida, Marius also experiences something exciting, challenging and completely new. Soon, learning becomes loving – and Frida and Marius, despite their differences, plunge into an unusual, turbulent relationship. Martin Lund's feature screened at Filmfest Hamburg 2019, and was winner of the Audience Award at ArteKino Festival 2019.

Beware of Children

Dag Johan Haugerud : 2019
Barn

When crisis strikes we reveal our true colours. The film traces the dramatic aftermath of a tragic event in a middle class suburb of Oslo. During a break at school 13-year-old Lykke, the daughter of a prominent Labour Party member, seriously injures her classmate Jamie, the son of a high profile right-wing politician. When Jamie later dies in hospital, contradictory versions of what actually happened risks making a difficult and traumatic situation worse. Was it only innocent play? Liv, the school's principal and the secret lover of Jamie's father, must find the strength to confront a community in distress, and her own highly conflicted emotions. Dag Johan Haugerud's feature premiered in competition at Venice Days 2019.

What Will People Say

Iram Haq : 2017
Hva vil folk si

Sixteen year-old Nisha lives a double life. At home with her family she is the perfect Pakistani daughter, but when out with her friends, she is a normal Norwegian teenager. When her father catches her in bed with her boyfriend, Nisha's two worlds brutally collide. To set an example, Nisha's parents decide to kidnap her and place her with relatives in Pakistan. Here, in a country she has never been to before, Nisha is forced to adapt to her parents' culture. Nevertheless, the circumstances of her life won't allow her to give up the fight for her rights as a woman. Iram Haq's second feature premiered in the Platform section at Toronto Film Festival 2017, and had its UK premiere at Edinburgh International Film Festival 2018.

Utøya 22. juli

Erik Poppe : 2018
U – July 22

On 22 July 2011 five hundred young people attending a summer camp on the island of Utøya were attacked by a heavily armed right-wing extremist. The murderous attack claimed the lives of 69 victims. It was a trauma that rocked Norway to the core, and still does to this day. The drama opens with documentary footage of Oslo where, shortly beforehand, the same attacker had exploded a car bomb killing eight people; the scene then shifts to the island. We follow 19-year-old Kaja who is spending a few days of the holiday here with her young sister Emilie. The two are quarrelling because Emilie is in no mood for the camp and has absolutely no desire to go to the barbecue. And so Kaja ends up going alone. Suddenly, the first gunshot is heard. This first shot marks the beginning of a breathless 72-minute-long reconstruction of events, filmed in a single take, as seen through the eyes of the victims. Kaja's desperate search for Emilie. The fear in the eyes of the young people. Their escape into the forest. Their desperate hope of rescue. And the unknown assassin, getting closer and closer. Erik Poppe's feature premiered in competition at Berlin International Film Festival 2018.

Thelma

Joachim Trier : 2017

Having grown up in a small coastal town, Thelma moves to Oslo to study Biology. She's quite introverted, sensitive and conservative due to her family's rigorous Christian background, so she doesn't have any real friends at the university. Whilst in the library, Thelma experiences a severe seizure; fortunately, fellow student Anja, who is sitting next to her, comes to her aid immediately. After this experience, Thelma feels extremely attracted to Anja, who reciprocates Thelma's attraction, and a relationship blossoms between them, although the closer they get, the more intense Thelma's seizures become. As it becomes clear that the seizures are symptoms of mysterious and dangerous psychological abilities, Thelma is confronted with secrets from her past and the terrifying implications of her newfound powers. Joachim Trier's feature was winner of the Norwegian Film Critics Award when it premiered at Norwegian International Film Festival 2017.

Helle Nächte

Thomas Arslan : 2017
Bright Nights

Austrian civil engineer Michael lives with his girlfriend in Berlin. For years, he has barely had any contact with his 14-year-old son Luis. When Michael's father dies the two nonetheless travel together to the funeral which is held in the remote north of Norway. At the deceased's secluded home Michael begins to pack up his late father's personal items – watched in silence by his son. Two people who barely know each other are suddenly caught in an intimate situation. After the funeral, Michael surprises Luis by suggesting that they spend a few days together exploring the region. A road movie begins that is also a journey into their non-existent shared past. Being together turns out to be more difficult than expected. Never having spent any time with each other on a daily basis, they have trouble handling their relationship. Whilst Michael glosses over this situation, Luis can't hide how hurt he is. His father's long years of absence stand between them like a wall. When they are in the car together it feels like the calm before a storm. During the long days of the summer solstice, days when the sun never sets, Michael tries to break the repetitive cycle and find a joint way forward. Thomas Arslan's feature was winner of the Silver Bear for Best Actor when it premiered in competition at Berlin International Film Festival 2017.

Beyond Sleep

Boudewijn Koole : 2016

A mythical quest for a stone that fell from the sky. Alfred Issendorf, a young, ambitious geologist, goes in search of meteorites in the swampy north of Norway, hoping that the journey will cement his academic reputation by uncovering a significant scientific proof. Alfred is also trying to continue where his father left off when he died during a similar research trip of his own. Alfred searches, stumbles and suffers on the pitiless Northern European tundra. He finds redemption only when he has reached the very brink of insanity. Based on the Dutch literary classic Nooit meer slapen by Willem Frederik Hermans. Boudewijn Koole's feature premiered as the opening film at International Film Festival Rotterdam 2016.

Hevn

Kjersti Steinsbø : 2015
Revenge

Rebekka's beloved younger sister has just committed suicide. Grieving, angry and seeking justice, Rebekka travels under false identity to an idyllic hotel situated in the majestic fjords of Western Norway. She is going to meet Morten Holand, the innkeeper and the town's "Golden Boy", with whom she shares a dark secret surrounding the death of her sister. Fixated on plotting her revenge against Morten, Rebekka sets out to destroy his perfect family life, turning his friends and the townsfolk against him. Soon it becomes apparent that Rebekka's actions have consequences for more than just Morten himself, as life in the village begins to unravel, and Rebekka must determine how far she will go to seek revenge. People often say that the end justifies the means, but are we really aware of the consequences of our actions, of the collateral damage, once we set in motion certain mechanisms in which lies and blindness, bad faith and hypocrisy play an essential role? Kjersti Steinsbø's feature debut is based on the novel The Doll in the Ceiling by Ingvar Ambjørnsen.

The Disappearing Illusionist

Bobbie Peers : 2015
Dirk Ohm – Illusjonisten som forsvant

In mid-winter the German illusionist Dirk Ohm arrives in the small town of Grong, a place ridden by the disappearance of a young local woman, Maria. Dirk soon finds himself searching for Maria side by side with the villagers; and slowly he falls in love with the missing woman. In the loneliness of his hotel room he gives in to the illusion of their love relationship, she is to him more real than anything else. Maria's father views Dirk with increasing suspicion. Maria's mother, on the other hand, turns to Dirk in the hope that he has real clairvoyant abilities, and begs him to find her daughter. As the search moves towards a conclusion, Dirk finds himself under increasing pressure and expectation. And soon he will have to make the choice between reality and illusion. Inspired by a true event, the story is told in a magical and poetic landscape, challenging our perception of what's real and what's not, who we are when we are present and who are we when we are gone.

De nærmeste

Anne Sewitsky : 2015
Homesick

When Charlotte, 27, who is longing for family bonds and acceptance, meets her brother Henrik, 35, for the first time as an adult, it becomes an encounter without boundaries, between two people who don't know what a normal family is. How does sibling love manifest itself if you have never experienced it before? An unusual family drama about seeking a family, and breaking every rule to be one. Anne Sewitsky's third feature premiered in competition at Sundance Film Festival 2015.

Amnesia

Nini Bull Robsahm : 2014

A seemingly happy couple, Katherine Odegaard and Thomas Winther, decide to go for a weekend getaway on a secluded Norwegian island. A weekend that should have included good food and wine, lots of laughter and Katherine finishing her book, turns quickly into a bad dream. Katherine discovers she needs to find self-confidence in herself and not always depend on her boyfriend. Thomas on the other hand discovers that he and Katherine don't share the same vision of future together, as he wants a child. This culminates into an argument, which ends with a physical struggle, where Thomas falls and is knocked unconscious. When he wakes up he can't remember anything – not last night, nor the relationship with Katherine. What should Katherine do? Tell the truth or start everything over again, trying to leave the past behind? Nini Bull Robsahm's second feature had its international premiere at Lund Fantastisk Film Festival 2014, and screened at Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival 2014.

Svenskjävel

Ronnie Sandahl : 2014
Underdog

23-year-old Ana "Dino" Dinovic dreams of a different life. Like an abundance of Swedes her age, she has fled the mass unemployment of her home country in search of a more worthwhile existence in a nouveau-riche Oslo. But her new life is caught in deadlock. Dino finds herself stuck in a destructive loop of temporary jobs, financial trouble and hard partying. Family father Steffen is also on the verge of a new beginning. This former tennis pro is trying to build up a sushi bar business in Oslo. With his wife abroad on business, he is completely overwhelmed with the task of taking care of his two daughters. Dino offers her services as a nanny and the strange, carefree Swede manages to win over the hearts of the two girls in no time. But Steffen is also having trouble containing his affection for the almost twenty-year younger woman. During a few sultry summer weeks Dino ends up the centre of an odd love triangle, an unpredictable struggle for affection as well as dominance. Ronnie Sandahl's feature debut was winner of the Critics' Choice Award when it premiered in competition at Zurich Film Festival 2014.

A Spell to Ward Off the Darkness

Ben Rivers & Ben Russell : 2013

Following the journey of a person's spirit or essence, rather than character, we experience three moments of existence. We follow an unnamed man through three seemingly disparate moments in his life. With little explanation, we join him in the midst of a 15-person collective on a small Estonian island; in isolation in the majestic wilderness of Northern Finland; and during a concert as the singer and guitarist of a black metal band in Norway. Marked by loneliness, ecstatic beauty and an optimism of the darkest sort, these three moments signal a radical proposition for the creation of utopia in the present. A hybrid document of the past, present, and future. Experimental and visionary filmmakers Ben Rivers and Ben Russell's collaborative feature premiered at Locarno Film Festival 2013.

Blind

Eskil Vogt : 2014

Having recently lost her sight, Ingrid retreats to the safety of her home – a place where she can feel in control, alone with her husband and her thoughts. After a while, Ingrid starts to feel the presence of her husband in the flat when he is supposed to be at work. At the same time, her lonely neighbour who has grown tired of even the most extreme pornography, shifts his attention to a woman across the street. Ingrid knows about this, but her real problems lie within, not beyond the walls of her apartment, and her deepest fears and repressed emotions soon prevail. Eskil Vogt's first solo feature takes us into the mind of a woman who has lost her sight but is doing whatever she can to hold on to her reality. The film was winner of the World Cinema Screenwriting Award when it premiered at Sundance Film Festival 2014.

I Am Yours

Iram Haq : 2013
Jeg er din

Mina is a young, single mother living in Oslo with her six-year-old son Felix. She is a Norwegian Pakistani with a troublesome relationship with her family. She wants to be an actress but blows every audition. She seems uninterested in, and incapable of pursuing, any other career. She is looking for love and has several relationships with different men, however none of the relationships bear any hope of lasting very long. A chance meeting with Jesper, a Swedish filmmaker, opens up new possibilities and they fall head over heels in love. Mina takes Felix to Sweden to live with Jesper, but looming over everything is the one constant in Mina's life: her mother's disapproval. Norwegian actor, filmmaker and singer Iram Haq's feature debut is a striking portrait of familial relationships and of a woman who tries to live life on her own terms. Her film had its international premiere in the Discovery section at Toronto International Film Festival 2013.

Gnade

Matthias Glasner : 2012
Mercy

Hammerfest is a Norwegian city on the Arctic Ocean. In winter, life alternates between pitch-black night and endless twilight. A German couple and their son live here. Niels is an engineer on a gas liquification plant, Maria a nurse in a hospice. They adapt well to the occasionally unreal world of night shadows but soon after they arrive, Niels and Maria sense that their new surroundings will not be able to save their withering relationship. Niels throws himself into his work and into an affair. Maria does overtime at the hospice, and Markus struggles with puberty and his new fellow students. Then one night a terrible accident occurs that changes everything. Maria runs over someone or something. Feeling unable to deal with the situation, she races home in panic. The coldness in the couple's hearts subsides and, miraculously, the tragedy becomes a turning point for all three family members. Caught in their own lies, isolated in the darkness of the polar night, the secret shared by Maria and Niels forces them to confront their lives and the existential questions that arise. Can one live without mercy and forgiveness? The film premiered in competition at Berlin International Film Festival 2012.

Before Snowfall

Hisham Zaman : 2013
Før snøen faller

A road movie that becomes an odyssey from East to West for young Siyar, a village boy from Iraqi Kurdistan, who has overtaken the responsibility for his siblings after the death of their parents. His journey begins when his older sister, Nermin, flees her wedding. Siyar's father is dead, and as the eldest son, he is obliged to set out to find his sister and kill her to restore his family honour in the local village. In İstanbul he meets a young girl, Evin, and they travel together through Greece, Germany and Norway. During the journey through different cultures, Siyar gradually matures as he is forced to set in question the ethics of his cultural moral of honour-killing. Instead, the search for his sister becomes a search for dignity and love. Hisham Zaman's debut feature received the jury's honourable mention when it premiered at Tromsø Internasjonale Filmfestival 2013.

Uskyld

Sara Johnsen : 2012
All That Matters is Past

Two brothers in their forties are found dead in the forest. By their side lies a woman, very weak, but still alive. William and Janne grew up together in an isolated rural area and became sweethearts when they were teenagers. They were left mostly to their own devices as kids – Janne's window to the wider world was largely provided by magazines she scavenged from a nearby dump – and their outlook is somewhat skewed, to say the least. Reunited after several years apart, their love seems inextricably bound to the wild landscape where they met and the special bond they have with nature. Janne leaves her family to live with William in a cabin by the river. They recreate the feeling of love and lust that they had as children, playing in the woods. The days they spend together in the countryside seem idyllic, as the wind blows gracefully through the reeds as if to welcome them. Yet this idyll hints at events they refuse to speak about and when William's psychologically damaged, perpetually resentful older brother Ruud resurfaces once again, William and Janne are forced to confront the dark secrets of their past.

Fjellet

Ole Giæver : 2011
The Mountain

Two years ago, Nora and Solveig's five-year-old son, Vetle, died on a mountain hike. Their grief over his death has weighed heavily on their relationship ever since. For Nora, the child's biological mother, the pain of her loss has caused her to become increasingly bitter. Although Solveig loved Vetle just as much, Nora begins to question the sincerity of Solveig's grief. The boy's death has changed Solveig and she now finds that she can't imagine a life without a child any more. But how would Nora react? Would it ruin their relationship if Solveig were to have a child? Together, the two women set off on a journey to the mountain where their child died. Solveig hopes their return will be cathartic, helping them to cope with their grief and giving their relationship a chance. But as all the suppressed bitterness, hurt feelings and fears gradually surface the closer the women get to the site of the accident, the more they seem to be drifting towards the end of their relationship.

Babycall

Pål Sletaune : 2011

Under the witness protection programme, single mother Anna moves with her eight-year-old son Anders to a large flat with a secret address outside Oslo, to get away from her violent ex-husband. Terrified they will be found, Anna becomes over-protective of her son, even buying a baby monitor so that he doesn't have to sleep in her bed. But strange noises start to echo from inside the building – or is she imagining that someone is hurting a child somewhere? Meanwhile, Anders makes a mysterious young friend who starts visiting at odd hours. Does this new friend know anything about the murder? And why is Anders' drawing stained with blood? We follow Anna as she attempts to hide out in her new flat, taking small steps into society only to feel threatened by everything she encounters. Soon, Anna will no longer know what she can trust or what is imagined or real.